Called a "mini-album" by her label, Astralwerks,
Sia's
Lady Croissant is a collection of eight live tracks (from her April 2006 performance in New York's Bowery Ballroom) and one new studio track, the darkly bubbly single, "Pictures." The recordings sound good, the band (bass, cello, drums, guitar, and keys) tight and lush, and
Sia herself is spot-on, her vocals rich and passionate. The set here is short (and the actual concert wasn't much longer), but the singer pulls material from both Healing Is Difficult and
Colour the Small One (including "Breathe Me," featured in the popular television show Six Feet Under's series finale) as well as two tracks, "Destiny" and "Distractions," from
Zero 7's
Simple Things (
Garden wouldn't come out until June, so unfortunately her contributions to that album aren't included here). There's a song of hers called "Lentil," the only one she introduces by name here, and a
Cher/
Pretenders -- with inspirational credit given to the latter -- cover (written by
Ray Davies), "I Go to Sleep."
Sia, her voice, her style, hearken back to the late '90s, drawing comparisons to early
Nelly Furtado and
Morley, but the music here, her music, doesn't seem dated or unhip. It's very modern, warm and melodic and cleanly intricate, and shows off
Sia's talents well, making
Lady Croissant an important listen for her fans, and enough to sway those less familiar with her work into checking out what else she has to offer. ~ Marisa Brown